Lubricant collector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11274738-B2
Application number	US-201917042990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2019
Priority date	Mar 30, 2018
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle drive unit assembly having a ring gear with a plurality of ring gear teeth extending from an outer surface thereof. At least a portion of a lubricant collector having a body portion with a first side, a second side, a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion is disposed proximate to and directly adjacent at least a portion of the ring gear. The lubricant collector has one or more first receiving portions and/or one or more second receiving portions defining a collector reservoir therein. The one or more first receiving portions and/or one or more second receiving portions of the collector reservoir receive an amount of lubricating fluid that is expelled or thrown from the ring gear.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drive unit assembly, comprising:
a differential assembly having a ring gear;
a lubricant collector disposed proximate to at least a portion of said ring gear;
wherein said lubricant collector receives an amount of lubricating fluid therein expelled from said ring gear of said drive unit assembly;
wherein said lubricant collector has one or more first receiving portions and/or one or more second receiving portions defining a collector reservoir therein;
wherein at least a portion of said one or more first receiving portions are disposed directly adjacent to and radially outboard from at least a portion of a radially outermost surface of said ring gear;
wherein at least a portion of said one or more second receiving portions are disposed proximate to and axially outboard from at least a portion of a plurality of ring gear teeth on said ring gear;
wherein said one or more first receiving portions have a first bottom portion extending in a downward angle;
wherein at least a portion of said first bottom portion of said one or more first receiving portions have a shape defined by a radius;
wherein said radius of said first bottom portion of said one or more first receiving portions is greater than a radius of said radially outermost surface of said ring gear;
wherein said one or more second receiving portions have a second bottom portion extending in a downward angle;
wherein at least a portion of said second bottom portion of said one or more second receiving portions is disposed outboard and off-set from at least a portion of said first bottom portion of said one or more first receiving portions of said lubricant collector;
wherein at least a portion of said first bottom portion of said one or more first receiving portions and/or at least a portion of said second bottom portion of said one or more second receiving portions terminate at one or more directing surfaces; and
wherein said one or more directing surfaces of said lubricant collector have one or more surface features thereon.

2. The drive unit assembly of claim 1 , wherein said lubricant collector is integrally formed as part of a housing of said drive unit assembly or said lubricant collector is integrally connected to at least a portion of said housing of said drive unit assembly.

3. The drive unit assembly of claim 1 , wherein said one or more surface features on said one or more directing surfaces are one or more ribs, one or more channels, one or more grooves and/or one or more areas of increased material thickness.

4. The drive unit assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a shroud having an inner surface, an outer surface, a first side, a second side, a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion interposed between said first and second end portions;
wherein at least a portion of said shroud is disposed within at least a portion of a hollow interior portion of a housing;
wherein one or more first shroud channels having one or more inlet openings and one or more outlet openings extend inward into a body portion of said shroud from at least a portion of said second side of said shroud;
wherein at least a portion of said one or more inlet openings of said one or more first shroud channels are disposed in said second side of said shroud;
wherein at least a portion of said one or more outlet openings are disposed in said inner surface of said first end portion of said shroud; and
wherein said lubricant collector directs an amount of said lubricating fluid collected from said ring gear toward said one or more inlet openings in said body portion of said shroud.

5. The drive unit assembly of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of said shroud is integrally connected to at least a portion of said inner surface of said housing or is integrally formed as part of an inner surface of said housing; and/or
wherein at least a portion of a helical gear is disposed proximate to at least a portion of said inner surface of said shroud.

6. The drive unit assembly of claim 5 , wherein at least a portion of said inner surface of said first end portion and said intermediate portion of said shroud is defined by a substantially continuous radius R 1 from a theoretical center TC of said helical gear; and
wherein said radius R 1 of said shroud is greater than a radius R 2 of said outermost surface of said helical gear.

7. The drive unit assembly of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of said second end portion of said shroud has one or more lubricant directing portions; and
wherein said one or more lubricant directing portions of said shroud direct an amount of lubricating fluid to a secondary reservoir in said housing.

8. The drive unit assembly of claim 7 , wherein said secondary reservoir is integrally formed into said inner surface of said housing or integrally connected to at least a portion of said inner surface of said housing; and/or
said secondary reservoir is in fluid communication with one or more channels in said inner surface of said housing in order to supply an amount of lubricating fluid to one or more bearing assemblies rotationally supporting a pinion gear shaft.

9. The drive unit assembly of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of said inner surface of said first end portion and said intermediate portion of said shroud is defined by a substantially continuous radius R 1 from a theoretical center TC of a helical gear; and
wherein said one or more lubricant directing portions of said shroud extend substantially tangentially relative to said substantially circular path created by said radius R 1 of said shroud.

10. The drive unit assembly of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of said inner surface of said first end portion and said intermediate portion of said shroud is defined by a substantially continuous radius R 1 from a theoretical center TC of a helical gear; and
wherein said one or more lubricant directing portions of said shroud extend at an angle θ 1 away from said substantially circular path created by said radius R 1 of said shroud.

11. The drive unit assembly of claim 4 , wherein said one or more outlet openings are in fluid communication with said one or more first shroud channels by one or more second shroud channels extending at an angle θ 2 relative to said one or more first shroud channels in said shroud; and/or
wherein said one or more first shroud channels extend inward at an angle θ 3 relative to a horizontal plane intersecting said one or more first shroud channels.

12. The drive unit assembly of claim 4 , wherein said shroud has one or more protruding portions extending outward from at least a portion of said outer surface of said intermediate portion of said shroud; and
wherein said one or more protruding portions of said shroud are received and/or retained within at least a portion of one or more first shroud receiving portions in said inner surface of said housing.

13. The drive unit assembly of claim 12 , wherein said inner surface of said housing has one or more second shroud receiving portions that are axially off-set from said one or more first shroud receiving portions; and
wherein at least a portion of said second end portion of said shroud is received and/or retained within at least a portion of said one or more second shroud receiving portions.

14. The drive unit assembly of claim 4 , further comprising an additional collector having a first side and a second side;
wherein at least a portion of said second side of said additional collector is disposed proximate to at least a portion of said one or more inlet openings of said one or more first shroud channels;

Assignees

• Dana Heavy Vehicle Sys Group

Inventors

• Smith Shane T

Classifications

• F16H57/0471

  Bearing · CPC title

• F16H57/0457

  Splash lubrication · CPC title

• F16H57/0424

  Lubricant guiding means in the wall of or integrated with the casing, e.g. grooves, channels, holes · CPC title

• F16H57/0423 Primary

  Lubricant guiding means mounted or supported on the casing, e.g. shields or baffles for collecting lubricant, tubes or pipes · CPC title

• F16H2057/02052

  Axle units; Transfer casings for four wheel drive · CPC title